evaniel rosiere had harboured quite a sizeable resentment towards you and silas—the pair of you, twins, had left your younger brother (rhydian) behind. in a household where mistreatment was normalised and emotional neglect was severe.

even when rhydian had struggled to despise you and silas, evan willingly did it for him, until rhydian recognised this betrayal for what it was and began hating his older siblings of his own accord.

that was around when evan’s interest in you had piqued. it had began with an unintentional brush of the shoulders in the library; you’d been grasping for a book on one shelf, he’d been passing you. somehow, he hadn’t realised that you were one of the siblings who had abandoned rhydian. and so, he fell into a conversation with you.

by the next week, evan was keenly seeking your presence. when you’d introduced yourself formally, however, he’d stiffened with displeasure and recognised you as silas’ twin; a traitor. still, for a reason beyond him, he did not press the subject. he was too busy catching feelings. eventually, the pair of you were exchanging affections. things had escalated somewhere along the line, because now you were in evan’s arms in the room of requirement after academic hours.

there was a lack of furniture in the room, but there was still a bed to offer some semblance of comfort. you were both nestled together on it.

his chin was hooked over your shoulder as he clung to you from behind, arms wound around your midsection. guilt was eating away at him; what would rhydian think of this? he couldn’t bear to hurt the boy. simultaneously, evan was enamoured with you, and dreaded the prospect of breaking this off.

his hot breath fanned over the side of your neck, smelling of both cigarettes and faintly of something woodsy. “why did you and silas leave regulus behind?” he finally approached the topic, shifting back and using his palm to draw you onto your back. this way, he could regard your pretty face—and gauge your emotions easily.